We are excited for summertime and our 2022 summer season being in full swing. Our June 11th event went well, despite the heat and steep slopes. We worked in the area around Lionel Lane and Coal Creek Heights Dr. We processed a lot of tall trees, so it created a lot of logs (and firewood. See below.) We got slash out of the forest and hauled a few loads to the Nederland sort yard. An especially big thank you to our drivers who made the trips over to the sort yard. This batch was mostly dry and dead, and we acknowledge that is the hardest stuff to load and unload! This was our second visit to these properties, so it was nice to continue to make progress in this particular neck of the woods!
This July will see some more work in the neighborhoods of Flower Rd and Twin Spruce neighborhoods. We hope to do some good work in the Lyttle Dowdle area soon. We also hope to offer the fabulous Saw Maintenance Class by none other than Dana Lawson. He is the best, and we love learning from him! We will keep you posted on the dates and times for all of the above. Saws & Slaws wants to thank all of the good folks that are coming to our events. We try to get the word out through Facebook but let us know if you prefer to be on our mailing list. We promise that won’t sell your info and that we don’t email too much! We have gotten some good things done so far this summer, and we are game for so much more!
We also want to express our gratitude for the neighbors in the lower Copperdale neighborhood for being tolerant of the “Martin Sort Yard.” We don’t want to store an excessive amount of firewood in any one place anymore and are actively looking for other places to store firewood. If you are interested in some of the wood we generated recently for your own use, please let us know if you want (4 foot long) logs to process on your own. We are happy to part with them so they are free to good homes! Email us at sawsandslaws@gmail.com. Call us at 720-326-7739… and don’t be shy about asking us about fire mitigation and how we can help! Since Covid, we have really had to reevaluate the different ways we can help our community. For example, last month we also took a tree down for some folks on Tunnel 19. I believe we offer something for everyone. Let us know how we can help you!
Featured Volunteer – Jane Marsolek
We have recently shared how important and extra special Jane Marsolek is to us as she hosted our May event earlier this year. Even so, I felt like it was time we fully featured her as she is such an important part of our community and of Saws & Slaws in particular. She is one of our founding members from way back in 2011 and helped us make what Saws & Slaws is today. She even was a student in our very first chainsaw class! In events alone, she has volunteered OVER 200 hours, and that doesn’t count the hours she worked in helping us get organized! That is impressive for anyone, but especially for someone in her golden years with plenty of other good things to do!
Let’s get to know Jane a little better:
What’s your favorite Tree?
I like all of the trees. It’s what makes the mountains fabulous. ALL of those trees to see! I have lots of aspen trees in my front yard and the autumn colors will knock you out.
What neighborhood do you live in?
I live on the lower end of Twin Spruce Road near Highway 72. We have been
here since 1983. We’ve got a rocky mountain in front across the road and another hill out back.
If you had to evacuate right now what would you grab?
I’d take cell phone, pictures, cameras, computers – and our beloved dog, Bucky, and his cookies and food. Also, of course, my purse and checkbook and some clothes.
How did you find out about Saws & Slaws and what motivates you to devote your time to it?
Saws & Slaws has been a gift to the canyon – I have worked with the people who started it and helped the first time on the Pryce property. While the work is somewhat strenuous – as I get OLDER – It’s always fun and an opportunity to meet new people every time, AND it’s a great way to minimize wildfires.
What’s the best thing you’ve eaten at the Potluck?
All of the potlucks are wonderful with a wide variety of great food. I think my chile – just recently – was super – just bragging but it got a lot of compliments!
What’s your favorite thing about Coal Creek Canyon?
Coal Creek Canyon is a very special place. I know many people and my new neighbors are great additions! People from all over end up like family! Thank you, Jane, for your many years of continued service to Saws & Slaws and our community!! You are a gift to us all!
Upcoming Events:
Come and hang out with us at the annual Coal Creek Canyon Freedom Fest on July 4 th at the CCCIA. We’ll be there ready to answer your questions about Saws & Slaws, forest health, fire mitigation, or whatever else you want to talk about! Please be sure to stop by and say hi!
July Saws & Slaws event – Flower Rd & Twin Spruce – watch our website and Facebook for updates.
We have only a few spots left in the season, so if you are interested in hosting an event in your neck of the woods email us at sawsandslaws@gmail.com or call us at (720) 326-7739.
Safety Tip of the Month: Protect yourself from smoke. Smoke will irritate your eyes, nose, throat and lungs. It will cause coughing, wheezing and potentially make it hard to breathe. Presuming the source of the smoke is a safe distance away, do your best to keep yourself away from the smoke. Limit your time outside and avoid any strenuous exercise. Close windows and doors and stay in a room that you can close off from outside air. If you have one, use a portable air cleaner. If you need to evacuate or if you cannot close yourself off from the smoke, wear a particulate respirator. This can be an N95 or P100 mask found at most hardware stores which is different from the KN95s we’ve been wearing through the pandemic. If the respirator gets hard to breathe through or gets dirty, replace it with a new one. Protecting yourself from smoke is especially important for anyone with any heart or lung health issues as well as for children and pregnant women. However, with certain health conditions and for children respirators may not be an option. Another option would be to temporarily relocate to less smoky areas if money and time allow you to. The key point is to be prepared to protect yourself from smoke exposure as much as possible.
